Sun gave me a reminder as to why Im getting antsy..

NY808: hiking in rain forests was my fave pastime
JPennant: cool :-)
NY808: and itd be only a 20-30 ride to a trail
NY808: here you have to drive hours
JPennant: no you dont
NY808: so where can i find a good trail 20-30 from queens?
NY808: other than central park
JPennant: Palisades. Across the river.
NY808: so much to do here! i just need a hiking buddy
NY808: oh..and time
NY808: damn it
JPennant: yep

I aint going hiking anytime soon, but not being able to go walking is getting to me.

When I first got to New York, my first instinct was to raise my hand and yell "Taxi". City blocks INTIMIDATED me. I even took a cab to go TWO city blocks. More often than I care to admit to.
New Yorkers would look at me as if I were daft.

Now, Id rather walk, if only to the nearest train station.

Even in effing Bayonne, NJ - where you absolutely need a car, eventually Id walk everywhere.

Sturtle writes:

You get to walk in New York--which is, you know, a good thing. In fact, New York is probably the most perambulophilic (I just made that up!) city in the country, maybe the world.

For the rest of Americans, walking is something we do only sporadically--maybe in the middle of the night, we get to walk to the bathroom, or when we want to distribute a memo to our coworkers about the need to practice aiming at the toilet instead of the tissue rack we walk to the copy machine, but otherwise, we hop in our cars, drive the 20 feet to the 7-11, and circle the parking lot for 20 minutes trying to find a spot five feet closer to the door.

But in New York, you wanna get somewhere? Walk outside, two blocks down to the train station, get on, get off, then hike six blocks over, one block up, to visit your friend who lives in a 5th floor walk-up. Life in New York is conducive to great calves and even better asses.

Thats prolly why, Jules - I cant even imagine living in the LA area. Even when I get my license all paid off.

With the announcement of massive layoffs at Amtrak - I think time is running out to take that cross-country train trip.

The three men in the apartment : Joe, JT and Casey the Cat, settling back to watch movies..

JT: Which one?
Me: American Pie
JT: Aight
(15 minutes later, and not a damned thing is funny..)
JT: Planet of the Apes or Charlies Angels?
Me: Charlies Angels. I want to crack a smile at least ONCE tonight.
JT: Supposed to be done over the top with Tongue in cheek. Errr... pun not intended.

Heh. Took me about 5 seconds to visualize and get that one...
-------------------
I stood outside and looked up at the Central Florida night sky.

A man in business casual clothes sailed by on his longboard thru the complex.

I looked up and watched the lights, all the planes circling the Orlando area.

Here, it doesnt feel like everyone is on heightened alert. It doesnt feel like The Blitz like it does in New York.

F'rinstance.. like New York.. all the planes are lit up like Christmas ornaments.. but at least private planes are flying all over.

Small and private planes are excluded from New York airspace..

All you see are commercial planes flying predetermined paths, slowly. Almost no helicopters or private planes, cept for military and civilian authority.

Oh yeah, and the F-16's on patrol.. seen usually when they light their afterburners, making that abrupt turn over Manhattan.

I stood and looked at the lights in the sky.

Normal lights.

Today's horrorscope:

You've planned and pondered long enough:
Now it's time to get your act together and start making your dreams come true. Forget about all the false starts and missed opportunities.
The planets promise that if you believe in yourself and act as if you can't fail, you'll accomplish some amazing things over the next few weeks, starting today.

Holla.

Already making the moves yo.
---------------

Doing a site redesign (for munny)... rockin to the playlist, getting to the creative groove..

DMX - Up in here
NIN - Closer
RedHotChiliPeppers - Love Rollercoaster
Notorious B.I.G - Big Poppa
Digital Underground - Doowatchyoulike
Kool Moe Dee - Wild Wild West
Maxi Priest - Just Wanna Be Close
George Clinton - Atomic Dog
(bowwowwow-yibbiyo-yibbiyay)

and the usual suspects...

Shit. I havent left this house all week. The closest store is frikkin 2 miles away. And its 80 degrees outside. (Heheh. Boohoo)

No wonder I got fat when I moved to Florida.

Heh, better start walkin'.

----------------

Jamie, now an HBO site producer who regularly goes from LA to NY and back writes:

I'm so happy to be home. I feel like I've been gone forever. I think I left town just long enough to miss New York. It's been a while since I've felt like that, maybe since last summer, but more likely since I went to Jamaica two years ago. I don't think I like places where people are happy all the time, and people in Jamaica and LA fucking smile all the time, and then you have to smile back, too, or they think you're an awful person, which I don't mind ordinarily, except I was there on a business trip, so I had to care what people thought about me, or at least pretend like I did.

Anyway, I missed scowling. As soon as the plane hit the ground at JFK, I immediately relaxed my face into my natural scowl, and it felt so good and so right.

Hmm.

Nah.

Someone said, she couldnt imagine me out of NY. Someone else asked if I would be back.

Heh.
---

JPennant: hey
george: Where you at? ;-)
JPennant: couch surfin for a bit at my pals JT's place.
JPennant: a luxury gated community.
JPennant: getting my bearings
JPennant: My body is starting to relax.
JPennant: Now, if I can just figure why the gods have me coming here.
george: To Florida?
JPennant: yeah
JPennant: because in many ways its my disadvantage to be here
george: How so?
JPennant: I dont drive - deadly in a spread out place like this, florida is notoriously difficult to find work in, and there isnt any obvious way I can further my objectives here.
george: Is it warm? Quiet? Can you hear yourself think?
JPennant: yes
JPennant: Is that all I need at this very moment?
george: It may be.

Still, there are things I need to accomplish, and I feel like Im in a holding pattern again...
Today's horrorscope disagrees..

There's such a thing as mind over matter, but it won't help you much today because your physical batteries are at a very low ebb and the only thing that will recharge them is complete rest.
That might be difficult if you've got chores to do and deadlines to meet, but it can be done - and must be done, if you don't want to burn yourself out.

Aight.

I would much rather be in SF, but hey.

JPennant: Heh. Plus I got a cat here givin me all kinds of love. :-)
george: Kitty!
george: Name, make, model?
JPennant: Casey, big coon/tabby mix, 7 years, lap friendly
JPennant: Now sleeping on his back, mouth open, tongue hangin out, legs akimbo :-)
JPennant: I think our heavy petting session wore him out

Aight

"Where ever you go, there you are."

Florida... for the time being.

Ok, now what?
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